A multi-model approach to guide habitat conservation and restoration for the endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat

Chock, Rachel Y.; Hennessy, Sarah; Wang, Thea B.; Gray, Emily; Shier, Debra M.

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00881

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Though unsurprising, our finding that nearly every rodent species in the community we studied differs from the others in habitat use suggests that habitat heterogeneity is a key part of what has enabled these species to coexist, and should be part of any conservation management plan involving these species. Simulating or restoring natural disturbance regimes (e.g., wild fire, episodic flooding) in protected areas could help forestall declines, or create suitable habitat for translocation of species that depend on the availability of early to mid-successional habitat, such as Los Angeles pocket mice, Pacific pocket mice (Miller et al 2017 ) and San Bernardino kangaroo rats (Chock et al 2020 ), while preservation or restoration of mature growth patches could help prevent declines of species that depend on climax vegetation, such as Dulzura kangaroo rats and San Diego pocket mice. Evidence of spatial segregation and unique habitat associations of different species suggest a mechanism through which habitat heterogeneity supports species diversity in this rodent guild.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche partitioning in an assemblage of granivorous rodents, and the challenge of community-level conservation

2022

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Coexistence of competing species in the same foraging guild has long puzzled ecologists. In particular, how do small subordinate species persist with larger dominant competitors? This question becomes particularly important when conservation interventions, such as reintroduction or translocation, become necessary for the smaller species. Exclusion of dominant competitors might be necessary to establish populations of some endangered species. Ultimately, however, the goal should be to conserve whole communities. Determining how subordinate species escape competitive exclusion in intact communities could inform conservation decisions by clarifying the ecological conditions and processes required for coexistence at local or regional scales. We tested for spatial and temporal partitioning among six species of native, granivorous rodents using null models, and characterized the microhabitat of each species using resource-selection models. We found that the species’ nightly activity patterns are aggregated temporally but segregated spatially. As expected, we found clear evidence that the larger-bodied kangaroo rats drive spatial partitioning, but we also found species-specific microhabitat associations, which suggests that habitat heterogeneity is part of what enables these species to coexist. Restoration of natural disturbance regimes that create habitat heterogeneity, and selection of translocation sites without specific competitors, are among the management recommendations to consider in this case. More generally, this study highlights the need for a community-level approach to conservation and the usefulness of basic ecological data for guiding management decisions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche partitioning in an assemblage of granivorous rodents, and the challenge of community-level conservation

2022

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“…Terraces are formed on the longest time interval, as this habitat type is sustained by periodic flood events that occur on a longer climactic cycle. Thus, effluent effects on terrace habitats could be limited relative to larger impacts from flood control actions that attenuate the large flooding events that this habitat type relies on (Chock et al., 2020; US Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998). Indeed, terraces are the only floodplain habitat that would be expected to shrink with an increase in effluent flow.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, terraces are the only floodplain habitat that would be expected to shrink with an increase in effluent flow. Terraces are a unique habitat type formed by larger scale disturbances (e.g., flooding) that restructure nutrients and sediment (Chock et al., 2020). This type of habitat can also overlap with low‐flow channels in the absence of flow (i.e., rivers in arid environments that run dry in the summer and fall).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Intersection of Wastewater Treatment Plants and Threatened and Endangered Species in California, USA Watersheds

Cassady,

Anderson,

Schwabe

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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A changing climate and often unregulated water extractions have exposed over 2 billion people to water stress worldwide. While water managers have explored a portfolio of options to reduce this stress, supply augmentation through reuse of treated municipal wastewater is becoming increasingly attractive. Wastewater treatment plants protect water quality and prevent sewage from contaminating waterways. Increasingly, this resource is utilized for numerous human (e.g., irrigation, drinking water, groundwater recharge) and conservation (e.g., stream and river recharge) needs in water stressed regions. To understand the role treated municipal wastewater plays in impacting conservation objectives we identified the intersection of wastewater treatment plant locations and occurrences of threatened and endangered (T&E) species in California and compared the permitted contribution of effluent to baseflow quantities of the receiving waterbody to assess the degree to which changes in effluent could affect instream waterbodies. We found a positive correlation between the presence of treatment plants and T&E species in California watersheds—a quarter of species have 100% of their range in watersheds with at least one treatment plant. This correlation is greatest for species associated with terraces and riparian habitat, followed by aquatic habitat and aquatic emergent vegetation. One‐third of watersheds in our analysis can receive most of their cumulative watershed baseflow from effluent and are characterized by dense urbanization or agriculture. Our analysis demonstrates that the fates of T&E species and effluent are interconnected in ways important for water policy, suggesting that species conservation goals should be considered when making decisions about effluent reuse.

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“…For CCCA, an overarching goal is the restoration of habitat for species of conservation concern. Studies have shown that both SBKR and Woolly Star prefer a more open shrub habitat, with some studies suggesting over 60% shrub cover is too dense, and cover of 30% or less as ideal [38]. However, there is some concern that reducing cover too much may invite invasion by nonnative plant species.…”

Section: Oogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the Long-Term Ecological Management and Monitoring of Landscapes: The L-TEAM Framework

Mills,

Larios,

Franklin

2023

Land

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Long-term monitoring and adaptive ecological management are essential to the conservation of biodiversity. Yet, achieving successful long-term ecological monitoring and management, especially at the landscape level, has proven challenging. In this paper, we address the hurdles faced in sustaining long-term monitoring and management for landscape-scale efforts by offering three promising conceptual and methodological developments that support such initiatives. Then, we introduce L-TEAM, a long-term ecological adaptive monitoring and management framework that integrates those three components using four tools: a conceptual model, clearly defined and measurable objectives, scientifically robust experimentation, and decision support tools. Finally, using a case study, we demonstrate L-TEAM’s effectiveness in supporting the long-term monitoring and management of a landscape conservation project with diverse habitat types and multiple management objectives. This structured decision framework not only facilitates informed decision making in management practices, but also ensures the implementation of scientifically grounded long-term monitoring. Additionally, L-TEAM holds the potential to enhance our understanding of ecosystem functioning and biodiversity responses to disturbances and management actions.

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A multi-model approach to guide habitat conservation and restoration for the endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat

Cited by 7 publications

References 29 publications

Niche partitioning in an assemblage of granivorous rodents, and the challenge of community-level conservation

Niche partitioning in an assemblage of granivorous rodents, and the challenge of community-level conservation

The Intersection of Wastewater Treatment Plants and Threatened and Endangered Species in California, USA Watersheds

Enhancing the Long-Term Ecological Management and Monitoring of Landscapes: The L-TEAM Framework

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